Freedom is going up in smoke

Posted: Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Just for the record, my husband Todd and I do not smoke. We are not drug users nor do we drink. I believe the government does not need to dictate how we should live. Isn't that what our forefathers fought so hard against, isn't that why they fought the British? Why the American Revolution happened? They fought for our "freedom." Freedom is a precious thing that the government is slowly taking away from us, bit by bit.

My people have already had this done to them; we know how it works and quite frankly we didn't have a choice or say so in the matter. My ancestors lived on this land long before the government took over by force. Since then we have been told that we cannot honor our heritage. We are told where and when we can hunt, we are told what we can and cannot hunt, and we are told what we can and cannot use in our Native rituals.

My people are not even allowed in their homeland except as paying visitors. My ancestors are from Glacier Bay and now we have to get permission to enter our ancestral homeland. Hasn't the government taken enough from the aboriginal people? Hasn't the government taken enough from us as a country? When will enough be enough?

My husband served our country, as did his father and both his grandfathers, as did my father and his father. They fought for our country, this country that is turning into something that would make our forefathers turn over in their graves. I am not saying this to cry anything about race, it is merely an example of how the government is taking control of everything.

As for my freedom, why should I have to fence my yard? Why can't the pet owners show a little courtesy and clean up after their pets? Canine fecal matter carries bacteria that is not healthy to anyone. Why should your lungs be more important than the health and well being of my children in the sanctuary of their own yard when a bar is someplace that one chooses to go to? Dog feces can transmit diseases from your dog to people. Roundworm, hookworm and other parasitic worms may be transmitted to young children and adults who play or work in their yard when dog feces are present. Ocular larva migrans - an eye disease caused by parasitic worms found in dog droppings - can cause serious eye damage to young children. Shouldn't children be kept safe from diseases such as this? This is something that we should be concerned about affecting the health of everyone and not just the select few who choose to patronize a smoky environment.